East Midlands: Kevin Kendall appointed as the new chair of East Midlands Property Alliance

Guardian News

East Midlands Property Alliance (EMPA) has appointed Kevin Kendall as the new chair of its organisation after Jeremy Goacher stood down from the helm following a successful term in office.

Goacher, who held the position for three years, will not be leaving the organisation entirely and will remain a member of the Executive Board at EMPA.

After being unanimously voted to takeover the departing Goacher, Kendall, who holds a very similar position at Lincolnshire County Council, has admitted that following in his predecessor’s footsteps is a ‘tough act to follow’ but is already thinking of the long term.

Kendall said: “Jeremy is a tough act to follow, but I believe there are new challenges to address over the longer term to help spend public sector money even more wisely – and we can never do enough to provide skills for the next generation.

“I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the empa Executive Board and Scape to find solutions to those challenges.”

The departing Goacher, who is also head of property at Derbyshire County Council, revealed he was proud that the alliance had thrived during his three years as Chair and was confident it would continue to blossom under Kendall’s leadership.

Goacher said: “I am standing down from the post when membership and usage of the empa framework services has never been greater.

“We started with 14 users and now have 90 public sector members – which we hope proves that by collaborating with other colleagues, innovating and procuring wisely, we can all benefit.

“I am particularly proud of the progress we have made in delivering services locally, using SME’s and setting up the empa Training Academy to bring both young and more mature people into the sphere of work, along with accessing the right training to get qualifications and experience.”

Head of empa, Alan Coole, added: “I have very much enjoyed working with Jeremy during times of unprecedented change and upheaval in the public sector.

“Having ridden out the worst of the storm, Kevin can build on empa’s previous successes and support the public sector in delivering outstanding services and projects of all sizes through the empa frameworks.”